Jayna (Super Friends)
illustration by Alex Ross]] :"''Shape of...a pelican!" ::--'Jayna' Real Name: Jayna Nicknames: Wonder Sis Former Aliases: Shifter Twin Other Current Aliases: Johanna Fleming __TOC__ Status Occupation: Adventurer Legal Status: Jayna is a refugee of the planet Exxor, still a minor (by Exxorian standards). Identity: Public, although the general populace of Earth is largely unaware of her alien heritage. Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: Wonder Twins; Super Friends; reserve member of Young Justice Base of Operations: Formerly Exxor; later the Hall of Justice; later Gotham City Origin When a warlike alien species invaded the planet Exxor, Jayna and her twin brother, Zan (along with their pet monkey Gleek) exiled themselves into outer space. They eventually arrived on the planet Earth where they met the Super Friends. The Super Friends took them in, allowing them to stay at their headquarters, the Hall of Justice. At the urging of Superman, the Wonder Twins learned Earth's languages and customs, and also trained to act as super-heroes. They briefly worked alongside the teen adventurers Wendy and Marvin, but soon replaced them as Super Friend sidekicks, when the former decided to retire from heroing. The siblings and their simian pet shared in many adventures with the Super Friends, and took special care to watch over the neighborhood's teenage populace. Place of Birth: Exxor Known Relatives: Fonab (father, deceased); Rua (mother, deceased); Zan (twin brother) First Television Appearance: Super Friends: The Demons of Exxor First Comic Book Appearance: (Original) Super Friends #7; (Modern) Extreme Justice #9 Final Television Appearance: Super Friends: One Small Step for Superman Final Comic Book Appearance: (Original) Super Friends Special #1; (Modern) Young Justice #50 (last known appearance) History After engaging in several adventures with the Super Friends, the heroes arranged for the Wonder Twins to live with an old scientist named Professor Carter Nichols. They even took secret identities as John and Joanna Fleming. Commonly referred to as "Johan and Johanna", the supposed transfer students from Esko, Sweden, disguised themselves with blonde hair (Zan wore a wig, while Jayna used her powers to transform into a human to change her hair color and ear shape), to allow them to attend Gotham City High School.Wonder Twins article at Wikipedia television series]] Characteristics Height: Height unknown Weight: Weight unknown Eyes: Purple Hair: Black Unusual Features: Jayna and Zan both have pointed ears and arched eyebrows, a common physical trait amongst their native populace. Powers Known Powers: Jayna possesses the ability to shape-shift her body into any known animal form. The choice of form is not exclusive to Earth animals, but may also include animals from her home world of Exor. So long as Jayna can envision a specific animal in her mind's-eye, she can transform into it. While in a selected form, Jayna maintains full control of her mental faculties and is even capable of vocalizing her thoughts (regardless of whether the target animal is biologically equipped for speaking or not). The duration of Jayna's ability to remain in a chosen form is unknown. Weaknesses/Limitations: Jayna's super-powers are contingent upon physical contact with her brother, Zan. Direct flesh-to-flesh contact is required to prompt the transformation. Traditionally, this is achieved by one twin knocking their clenched fist against the opposing fist of the other. Jayna is also fond of using spoken mantras while using her powers. To activate their abilities, both siblings usually shout "Wonder Twin powers...activate!", followed by a secondary spoken command signifying a chosen form such as, "Shape of...an iguana!" To switch back into her Exxorian form, Jayna made physical contact with Zan a second time, with either one or both of them exclaiming, "Wonder Twin powers...deactivate!" Whether this spoken mantra is necessary to activate the Wonder Twin powers or whether they do so out of choice remains unclear. Known Abilities: No known abilities. Strength Level: Under Earth's gravity, Jayna appears to possess the equitable strength level of a human female her age, size and weight who engages in moderate regular exercise. Whether her Exxorian physiology provides her with added physical strength while on other worlds remains unknown. When using her powers, Jayna briefly acquires the proportionate strength of the animal shape she is currently assuming. For example, were she to shape-shift into the form of a gorilla, her strength level would increase to that of an adult gorilla. Upon returning to her natural form, her strength level returns to normal. Miscellaneous Equipment: Jayna and Zan both wore specially designed wrist watches, which contained a Teen Trouble Alert system. Similar to the larger Trouble Alert broadcasting system used at the Hall of Justice, this miniature version alerted the twins to local emergencies affecting the neighborhood teenage population. Jayna also wore a special charm bracelet. Her teen predecessor in the Super Friends, Wendy Harris owned a bracelet with charms designated for each member of the Super Friends. By pressing a hidden stud on any one of the charms, a signal was sent to a communicator device that corresponded to the Super Friend in question. When Wendy decided to retire as a teen adventurer, she gave her charm bracelet to Jayna. Super Friends #9 Transportation: Jayna usually travelled by way of self-powered flight. This could only be done when she transformed into a winged creature, like a bird of a bat. Weapons: No known weapons. Notes * The character of Jayna was originally developed for the Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera animated series, the Super Friends. Jayna was also featured in the Super Friends comic book adaptation. In 1995, DC Comics writer Ivan Velez, Jr re-introduced the Wonder Twins as special guest stars in the Justice League spin-off title Extreme Justice. * Actress Liberty Williams originally provided the voice for Jayna. When the series became known as Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, Williams was replaced with voice actor B.J. Ward. * Jayna's origin was revealed in Super Friends #14. Trivia * In general, comic readers and fans of the old Super Friends cartoon look upon the Wonder Twins in a largely unfavorable light. They are often viewed as a failed attempt at comic relief, and have become the subject of ridicule and numerous lampoons on television programs and web sites. The Internet personality known as Seanbaby hosts a Super Friends fan site which provides a humorous, if albeit mean-spirited, analysis of the Super Friends characters. * The canonical version of Jayna has an appetite for compact disks. During the Wonder Twins' brief tenure with Young Justice, she was caught eating Wonder Girl's CD collection. Young Justice #50 * Jayna's closely cropped black hair, pointed ears and arched eyebrows are reminiscent of the Vulcan alien species popularized in the Star Trek mythos. * The Marvel Comics counterpart to the Wonder Twins are the mutant heroes Aurora and Northstar. Like the Wonder Twins, both mutants are identical twin siblings with pointed ears and black hair. Their powers intensify whenever they make physical contact with one another. * In 2002 Warner Bros. and Gaylord Films optioned the rights to film a feature length live-action Wonder Twins movie, but the project never progressed beyond the proposal stage.E! Online; Joal Ryan; 2002 * Statues of the Wonder Twins were briefly featured in the fourth episode of the Justice League animated television series entitled Injustice for All. However, they were soon smashed to pieces by members of Lex Luthor's Injustice Society. * The concept of the Wonder Twins was revived again for the Justice League sequel series, Justice League Unlimited. In the first season episode Ultimatum a group of super-clones known as the Ultimen are introduced as the antagonists to the Justice League. The Ultimen are a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the original Super Friends, with modernized incarnations of various members including the Wonder Twins. Jayna's Ultiman counterpart is a shape-changer named Shifter (not to be confused with Shift of the Outsiders). * In the fifth season episode of That 70's Show entitled Ramble On, Hyde fantasizes about what it would be like to be a super-hero. In his fantasy, he is dressed as Zan with his girlfriend Jackie dressed as Jayna. That 70's Show; Episode 110; Ramble On * The Wonder Twins were referenced in season one of the Adult Swim comedy series Robot Chicken. In an episode entitled Kiddie Pool, teen super-stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen activate their Wonder Twin Powers in order to fight a misunderstood red dragon that is seen trouncing New York City.Robot Chicken; Season One; Kiddie Pool Recommended Readings * Super Friends #7-42 * Super Friends Special #1 * Extreme Justice #9 * Young Justice #50 Related Articles * Exxor * Gleek * Hall of Justice * Legion of Doom * Super Friends * Super Friends (TV Series) * Wonder Twins * Young Justice * Zan External Links * Hanna-Barbera Super Friends Chronology * Wonder Twin's article at Seanbaby's Super Friends page * Zan and Jayna F.A.Q. References ---- Category:Characters Category:Alien Characters Category:Black Hair Category:Female Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Modern Category:Public Identity Category:Purple Eyes Category:Silver Age Category:Super Friends members Category:Young Justice members